This Week In London’s History
- Monday – 7 January 1927: The first commercial transatlantic telephone service is launched, connecting London and New York.
- Tuesday – 8 January 1991: A packed rush hour train carrying over one thousand commuters collides with the buffers at Cannon Street station, killing one person and injuring hundreds more.
- Wednesday – 9 January 1806: Following a grand state funeral, the body of Lord Nelson is buried beneath the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral.
- Thursday – 10 January 1863: The Metropolitan Railway, running between Paddington Station and Farringdon Street Station (as it was known at the time), opens to the public. It would form the first part of what we now consider to be the London Underground network.
- Friday – 11 January 1864: Charing Cross railway station is opened.
Random London Fact
What do Hyde Park Corner, Wimbledon Common and Ham Common (near Richmond) have in common? Well, probably quite a few things. But specifically, they are all home to equestrian crossings (a.k.a 'Pegasus Crossings') – similar to the familiar Pelican/Puffin/Toucan crossings, but featuring additional activation buttons located two metres above the ground, so that they can be used by horse-riders. Their lights also use pictograms of a horse and rider, instead of the usual standing/walking man.
Picture by Another Partial Success via the Londonist Flickr Pool.
